Movies: Past, present and future

Bad news for those of you who were hoping to catch another glimpse of Jason Segel's nether regions in "The Five-Year Engagement": A scene featuring a full-frontal view of the actor has been cut from the film.

Earlier this year, rumors began circulating that the 32-year-old would drop trou in his latest romantic comedy, out April 27. Segel infamously revealed his genitalia in 2008's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and in recent years other men have followed his lead, including Michael Fassbender in "Shame" and Jason Biggs in "American Reunion."

Segel did indeed shoot a scene sans underwear for "Five-Year," which he co-wrote with Nicholas Stoller (Stoller also directs). The film, which co-stars Emily Blunt, is about a couple who keep sidelining their wedding. In the planned bit, Segel’s character abruptly leaves a sexual encounter, running outside onto snow-covered streets without his pants. The new cut will show only his backside.

“In ‘Sarah Marshall,’ the full-frontal is not completely gratuitous -- it’s kind of a metaphor for his vulnerability,” said Stoller, noting that Segel’s nudity in "Marshall" occurred during an emotional break-up. “When I looked at the scene in the new movie, it did seem gratuitous. I was like, ‘This doesn’t work.’”

Segel was fine with the cut, Stoller added. “He was like, ‘Hey, man, you’re the director,’” the filmmaker recalled.

Weeks ahead of its opening, pre-release audience polling indicates “Five-Year” could be headed for a strong opening.

“That’s a new experience for me, because my last films always had soft tracking," said Stoller, who also directed "Marshall" and "Get Him to the Greek." “This is the first movie I’ve made that the title is the movie -- people know what they’re going to get.”